considering how bad we are on the road and how good we are at home this year, I don't care who we play as long as we can somehow get home ice, which won't be easy since we have only 7 home games left.

Yeah, good point. I just assume if we're going to pass Pittsburgh and Washington that there's a good chance we would have passed the bruins for 3rd. maybe not though, and home ice would be more important that's for sure.

I still think we can beat tampa and bruins on the road though. Washington scares me, and if the pens get a healthy crosby and malkin back it would be a tougher match-up if we end up 5th.

The best part about MaxPac is that he's scoring a goal every three games legitmitately. He's not getting lucky -- he's doing it by shooting, shooting again, and shooting some more, which is how goal-scorers who are going to continue to score goals do it.

In other words, this doesn't look like a d'Agostini situation. I think that seeing him as a 25-30 goal scorer next year just might be realistic.

Yeah, good point. I just assume if we're going to pass Pittsburgh and Washington that there's a good chance we would have passed the bruins for 3rd. maybe not though, and home ice would be more important that's for sure.

I still think we can beat tampa and bruins on the road though. Washington scares me, and if the pens get a healthy crosby and malkin back it would be a tougher match-up if we end up 5th.

Malkin is out until December ACL and MCL surgery, longer recovery than Markov.

Crosby is not looking promising right now, he is about a month from a return the minute he gets the green light, so if things don't get better the next month he'll miss the playoffs.

Our defense is clearly better with Weber, he is our best pure puck mover. Wisniewski is too high risk and Subban is more a rusher and not as good with his passes. Weber's skill and mobility trumps Mara's size and experience most games.

The best part about MaxPac is that he's scoring a goal every three games legitmitately. He's not getting lucky -- he's doing it by shooting, shooting again, and shooting some more, which is how goal-scorers who are going to continue to score goals do it.

In other words, this doesn't look like a d'Agostini situation. I think that seeing him as a 25-30 goal scorer next year just might be realistic.

I love his game since his recall...if he can add another 7-8lbs to his frame he's be ideal size at 215lbs.

The best part about MaxPac is that he's scoring a goal every three games legitmitately. He's not getting lucky -- he's doing it by shooting, shooting again, and shooting some more, which is how goal-scorers who are going to continue to score goals do it.

In other words, this doesn't look like a d'Agostini situation. I think that seeing him as a 25-30 goal scorer next year just might be realistic.

If you project his current stats to an 82 game season you have 28 goals and 24 assists, scary.

What sucks even more about the road suckage is that if you consider how good we were on the road early in the season, we've been even beyond horrible since.

To add to this, we started the season 6-2 on the road. We're currently 14-15-1, which means we've lost 14 out of the last 22 road games. That's just unacceptable. Here's hoping tonight is the start of a roadgame turnaround to end the season.

The best part about MaxPac is that he's scoring a goal every three games legitmitately. He's not getting lucky -- he's doing it by shooting, shooting again, and shooting some more, which is how goal-scorers who are going to continue to score goals do it.

In other words, this doesn't look like a d'Agostini situation. I think that seeing him as a 25-30 goal scorer next year just might be realistic.

absolutely. Anything less, bust. Seriously though, I can see him putting up at least 20 next year and maybe even getting up to 30. I just don't want to set my hopes to high, like I did with gomez being a 60 point player for us.

To add to this, we started the season 6-2 on the road. We're currently 14-15-1, which means we've lost 14 out of the last 22 road games. That's just unacceptable. Here's hoping tonight is the start of a roadgame turnaround to end the season.

What happened is that the Habs had an awful stretch in December where they couldn't buy a goal and everything their opponents did turned to goal. It just so happened that December had a lot of road, non-division games, so the Habs ended up with a terrible road record and a terrible non-division record.

Our defense is clearly better with Weber, he is our best pure puck mover. Wisniewski is too high risk and Subban is more a rusher and not as good with his passes. Weber's skill and mobility trumps Mara's size and experience most games.

Hope Weber is back in next game.

I remember reading somewhere that Martin said hed like to play Mara against the bigger and more physical opponents, and Weber against the smaller-ish teams

not a convincing win by any means, but I've seen pavelec do the same thing to the habs that price did to them tonight.

Not sure I like this experiment with pleky on the point for the first unit. I guess they are trying to create more shooting chances for wiz, since the subban/wiz pairing normally has subban taking the shots instead

Gomez's attempts to clear the puck are really aggravating me. Everything he does seems so soft. Why cant he be hard on the puck?

Gomez's attempts to clear the puck are really aggravating me. Everything he does seems so soft. Why cant he be hard on the puck?

Same here. There were at least 4 occassions tonight he gave a half assed effort to clear the puck. I remember one clearing attempt on the PK where it was literally a bounce pass off the boards, similar to one you'd see when you are on the PP. Absolutely horrid. Another one was were he tries to reverse the play, takes a small hit, falls down and loses the puck. Defense is about effort and thats one MAJOR thing you can point at when you assess this brutal year from Gomer. Its not just bad offensively, its lacksadaiscal defensively too.

Yeah his 14pts in 25gp (0.56ppg, 46pts/82gp, and best production rate on the team) is out of place.

He looks like a filler, not good enough to have more ice time, easily contained, not fast and strong enough to play in this league.. I will give him the fact he has no wingers to play with, Pouliot is jerk, a softie while White is 4th line material, I would give him the chance to play with MaxPac and Gionta at some point but I doubt he will last long with the Habs..

He looks like a filler, not good enough to have more ice time, easily contained, not fast and strong enough to play in this league.. I will give him the fact he has no wingers to play with, Pouliot is jerk, a softie while White is 4th line material, I would give him the chance to play with MaxPac and Gionta at some point but I doubt he will last long with the Habs..

I think desharnais can be a better version of metropolit in this league. His skill alone will keep him in the league for special teams situations.

Whether he has a somewhat lengthy career with montreal partly depends on what kind of identity the habs want for their 3rd line. He can still cut it in this league without being a top 6 player.

Desharhais looks out of place to be honest, will have to step up big time, he is getting destroyed every shifts at the moment..

Cammy is worrysome..

I wont talk about number 11.. better like this..

Our D looked porous Gill Mara Sopel is too many pylons in the line-up at the same time..

So much wrong with your post.
Not sure we were watching the same game.
When did our D look like pylons ?
We played a collapsing strategy protecting the front of the net.
We let them have the outside.
When did they deke around us ?????

Mara was amazing tonight !
Total physical beast dominating down low, behind the net.
Punishing the Thrasher forwards.
Weber would have lost 90% of those puck battles.
Very happy to have Mara there again !

Sopel played well except for his giveaway that led to trasher goal.
But he is redeemed by the goal he saved batting it out of the air.

Wisnews had a great game - one goal and an end to end Bobby orr rush
that drew a penalty.
He pinched it at the right moments.

Hamrlik is the one who had a bad game.
Kept losing battles, making bad passes.
He looked tired and slow.

Deharnais had plentry of scoring chances plus wins his puck battles.

Cammy scored a few games in a row -he hit the post 2night.
in.Why are you worried about him ?
His laser beam sniper shot is back again.

Our defense is clearly better with Weber, he is our best pure puck mover. Wisniewski is too high risk and Subban is more a rusher and not as good with his passes. Weber's skill and mobility trumps Mara's size and experience most games.